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Schalke kick-off maiden visit to China

vor 2 StundenSchalke mascot Erwin has been checking out the facilities in China ahead of the players' arrival.

Summary

Schalke's pre-season preparations have taken them to Guangzhou, China.

The Royal Blues will play two friendly matches during their maiden visit to the country.

Huntelaar, Meyer, Geis and Di Santo all make the trip; Sane and Höwedes at EURO 2016.

FC Schalke 04 have departed Germany for the Far East as they step up their pre-season preparations with a first-ever visit to China.

The Royal Blues departed Düsseldorf around midday CEST on Saturday and are scheduled to land in Hong Kong on Sunday morning. From there they will travel to the metropolis of Guangzhou, and will be received by fans and media at the Guangdong Stadium.

"We're really looking forward to China," defender Sascha Riether told Schalke TV prior to departure. "We want to represent Schalke well in China and learn a lot of new things." Team-mate Dennis Aogo was equally enthusiastic: "China's really interesting for us as players. I'm open to new things. We want to grow as a team there."

Schalke will play two friendlies before returning home on 9 July, with fixtures against Guangzhou R&F and Guangzhou Evergrande lined up for Tuesday (5 July) and Thursday (7 July) respectively. More information on the club's trip can be found on Twitter using the hashtag #SchalkeInChina.